


Always another option

by autoRegenesis



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Gen, Pinestar's Choice AU, StarClan (Warriors), StarClan can be wrong sometimes, first published fanfic pls be gentle, kind of a, miss me with that 'the future is set in stone' nonsense, tigerkit's a lil weird but he'll be okay, what if pinestar... WASN'T a garbage dad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:35:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23994613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/autoRegenesis/pseuds/autoRegenesis
Summary: According to StarClan, Tigerkit is going to destroy the clans unless Pinestar does something to stop him. StarClan believes this 'something' should be killing Tigerkit. Pinestar has another idea.
Relationships: Pinestar & Tigerkit
Comments: 7
Kudos: 49





	Always another option

**Author's Note:**

> So, I'm not a huge fan of the "destiny is predetermined" narrative that Warriors is so fond of. Especially with regards to Tigerclaw. No wonder Pinestar ran away from the clans, with all the dead cats yelling at him to kill his son! Then I remembered that I am a writer, and I have the power to fix this. So this is basically a fix-it, beginning with Chapter 9 of Pinestar's Choice. Hopefully nobody's too out of character?  
> Note: Some of these lines are taken directly from Pinestar's Choice, but I tried to keep exact quotes to a minimum.

Pinestar stood in the nursery, watching the kits— _his_ kits—tucked against their mother's fur. Tigerkit lifted his tiny head and stared at Pinestar with cold amber eyes that chilled him to the core. The moss under Pinestar's paws began to feel hot and sticky as Tigerkit unsheathed impossibly sharp bloodstained claws. Pinestar was frozen in place as Tigerkit began to grow, empty expression turning to one of pure malice. The harsh tang of blood filled Pinestar's mouth, the scent overwhelming him, the crimson liquid now lapping at his paws. The agonized yowls of dying cats filled his ears, and when he tried to place his paws over his ears to silence the horrid sound, he was assaulted by a new noise.

"Your son is evil!" hissed a cat that Pinestar couldn't see.

"He's only a kit!" Pinestar protested.

"He won't be a kit forever!" a new voice yowled.

"He will destroy your clan!" snarled another.

"Please, just tell me what to do!" Pinestar begged, and at once the screaming went silent.

"Kill him."

Pinestar recoiled, looking up at the monstrous version of his son. "No! I can't!"

"You must!" someone demanded.

"Kill him!"

The voice was joined by a legion, all howling, "Kill him! Kill him!"

"I _won't!_ " Pinestar snarled, leaping to his feet and scattering moss around his den. He gasped for breath, aware of Goosefeather watching him from the entrance.

"Having a bad dream?" Goosefeather rasped. His piercing gaze told Pinestar that the medicine cat was well aware of the answer to that question.

"It doesn't matter," Pinestar said shakily.

"I think it does," Goosefeather said. "Sweetpaw is dead."

Pinestar flinched, fur bristling. "But—but it's been almost a quarter-moon since she ate that mouse! Bluefur and Rosepaw got better—"

"And Sweetpaw _didn't,_ " Goosefeather hissed. "Another death, and your kits are so weak—"

"They have nothing to do with Sweetpaw!" Pinestar interrupted. All at once, the fight left him, and he murmured, "I... I thought the clan was getting stronger. The fresh-kill pile has been full for days. Everything was supposed to be okay."

"Was it?" Goosefeather growled. "Don't be a fool, Pinestar. I think StarClan has told you exactly what's going on."

Before Pinestar could do anything else, the medicine cat limped out of his den and left Pinestar to his thoughts. Pinestar took a steadying breath. _Sweetpaw's death is not an omen,_ he told himself. _I can't kill my own son!  
_Exiting out into the clearing, he winced as he took in the knot of grieving cats gathered around Sweetpaw's body. The clearing was almost completely devoid of younger cats. _Sunfall must have taken them out on patrol,_ Pinestar thought. _Good. They shouldn't have to suffer through this never-ending grief._ From the corner of his eye, he saw a tiny shape playing with a ball of moss: Tigerkit. The tom had not only survived, but flourished, quickly growing stronger while his sisters were still too frail to leave the nursery. Tigerkit was playing all alone, and despite the voices echoing in his head, Pinestar approached his son.

Tigerkit looked up at him when he got close. "Sweetpaw's dead," he announced.

"I... I know," Pinestar mewed.

"Are you sad?" Tigerkit asked.

"Of course," Pinestar replied. "Every death is something to be sad about."

The brown tom blinked inquisitive amber eyes. "As sad as if I died? I mean, you're my father, so you must love me more than Sweetpaw. Right?"

Pinestar pushed down the feeling of horror rising in him at the young kit speaking of death so frankly. "I care for every cat in ThunderClan," he meowed, "but you, your sisters, and your mother are very important to me."

Tigerkit made a noise of disinterest. "Momma said that you don't care about us. Can you play with me?" He batted the ball of moss to Pinestar.

The ThunderClan leader stared down at the ball as it bumped gently into his paw.

 _Kill him!_ Doestar's voice yowled.

 _StarClan, please, he's only a kit!_ Pinestar thought.

 _Don't be a fool,_ Goosefeather's words echoed.

Tigerkit looked up at him, wide-eyed and innocent. "Pinestar?"

At that—the sound of his own son referring to him as his leader, not his father—chased the chaotic thoughts from Pinestar's head. _I won't,_ he thought fiercely. _I won't be the one to harm my son!_

"You're making a mistake," Goosefeather hissed, startling Pinestar. 

"I'm not," Pinestar retorted. "Loving my child is not a _mistake._ I'll make sure he grows up loved."

The medicine cat gazed at him with crazed eyes. "You can't prevent this without killing him."

Pinestar bristled. Locking eyes with his medicine cat, he gathered every ounce of determination inside himself and snarled, " _Watch me._ "

**Author's Note:**

> This is a standalone right now, but if there's interest, I'm totally down to continue it! If you notice any typos or mistakes, please let me know, I didn't re-read this very thoroughly.


End file.
